Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom

Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom
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Name	Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Caption	Portrait of Queen Liliʻuokalani
Date	January 17, 1893
Location	Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands
Type	Coup d'état
Outcome	Provisional Republic of Hawaii established; eventual Annexation of Hawaii by the United States

Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom was the 1893 coup that deposed Queen Liliʻuokalani and ended the internationally recognized independent Kingdom of Hawaii. The event involved coordinated action by members of the Hawaiian League, leaders of the Committee of Safety (Hawaii), and personnel from the United States Marine Corps aboard the USS Boston, producing a provisional Republic of Hawaii that petitioned for annexation by the United States of America. The overthrow catalyzed debates involving figures and institutions such as Sanford B. Dole, John L. Stevens, Grover Cleveland, and later administrations during the Spanish–American War era.

Background

By the late 19th century the Kingdom of Hawaii had extensive contacts with foreign powers including the United Kingdom, the United States, the Empire of Japan, and the Kingdom of Germany. Dynastic rulers such as Kamehameha I and Kamehameha III had earlier negotiated treaties like the Anglo-Franco Proclamation and various bilateral accords with Britain and France, while later monarchs engaged with figures including King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani. Honolulu functioned as a hub for trans-Pacific trade connecting to San Francisco, Yokohama, Sydney, and Guangzhou. Commercial networks driven by corporations such as Castle & Cooke, Alexander & Baldwin, C. Brewer & Co., and Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company expanded plantation agriculture on islands including Maui, Hawaiʻi (island), and Kauai. Missionary descendants associated with American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and institutions like Punahou School influenced politics and property law, while royal institutions such as ʻIolani Palace and the Privy Council of Hawaii embodied indigenous sovereignty.

Political and Economic Causes

Political reforms like the Bayonet Constitution (1887) imposed during King Kalākaua's reign altered the Hawaiian Kingdom's Constitution of 1864 structures and enfranchisement, empowering elites linked to firms such as Weyerhaeuser-affiliated investors and plantation magnates. Prominent businessmen including Lorrin A. Thurston, Henry E. Cooper, William O. Smith, and Augustus F. T. Holmes formed the Hawaiian League and the Committee of Safety (Hawaii) to pursue Annexation of Hawaii and commercial privileges. Tensions involved diplomatic actors like John L. Stevens, consul and later United States Minister to Hawaii, as well as legislators in Washington, D.C. including members of United States Congress and advisors to Presidents Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland. Economic drivers included the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 and subsequent sugar markets exposed to tariffs in United States tariff policy, while global events such as the Panic of 1893 and migration patterns involving Chinese immigration to Hawaii, Japanese immigration to Hawaii, and Portuguese immigration to Hawaii altered demographic and labor systems on plantations.

The 1893 Overthrow

On January 16–17, 1893, armed and political actors orchestrated the removal of Queen Liliʻuokalani after she proposed a new constitution to restore monarchical powers. Leaders of the Committee of Safety (Hawaii)—including Sanford B. Dole, Lorrin A. Thurston, W. R. Castle associates, and Henry E. Cooper—cooperated with the Honolulu police force under Charles Burnett Wilson's predecessors and with detachments from the USS Boston commanded by officers such as Captain George W. Conner. John L. Stevens ordered landing of United States Marines and sailors from the United States Navy ostensibly to protect American lives and property, while insurgents erected the flag of the provisional Republic of Hawaii at ʻIolani Palace and detained royal guards including members of the Royal Hawaiian Guard. International observers from the British Legation (Hawaii), German Empire representatives, and Empire of Japan diplomats recorded the crisis. The monarchy yielded under protest to avoid bloodshed, and provisional authorities formalized a temporary government headed by Sanford B. Dole.

Role of the United States and International Response

The role of the United States precipitated significant controversy: President Grover Cleveland commissioned Special Commissioner James H. Blount to investigate, producing the Blount Report which condemned John L. Stevens' actions and recommended restoration of the queen. Later, the Morgan Report (conducted by the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations chaired by Eugene Hale and John Tyler Morgan) contradicted Blount's conclusions, exonerating U.S. personnel. Debates in the United States Senate and administrations of William McKinley engaged diplomats such as John W. Foster and legal advisors including Hugh L. Scott and referenced precedents like the Monroe Doctrine and Treaty of Paris (1898). Foreign governments including Great Britain, Germany, and Japan monitored Hawaiian developments, while commercial capitals in San Francisco and New York City weighed in through newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times.

Aftermath and Annexation

Following the overthrow the provisional government declared the Republic of Hawaii (1894) with a constitution modeled by figures like Sanford B. Dole and Lorrin A. Thurston. Attempts to secure immediate annexation under President Benjamin Harrison stalled; President Grover Cleveland opposed forced annexation and attempted restitution. The outbreak of the Spanish–American War shifted U.S. strategic calculations, leading to renewed annexation efforts under President William McKinley, Secretary of State John Sherman, and congressional advocates including Henry Cabot Lodge. The Newlands Resolution (1898) enacted annexation by joint congressional action rather than treaty, incorporating the islands as the Territory of Hawaii in 1900, and later the Hawaii Admission Act (1959) admitted State of Hawaii to the United States.

Legal and Cultural Legacy

Legal disputes and cultural responses persisted: cases in the United States Supreme Court such as De Lima v. Bidwell and related jurisprudence addressed tariff and territorial status, while Hawaiian claimants and organizations like the Hawaiian Patriotic League and later Hawaiian sovereignty movement groups pursued redress. In 1993 the United States Congress passed the Apology Resolution (Public Law 103-150) acknowledging the overthrow’s role and recognizing native Hawaiian claims; contemporaneous reports such as the United States Federal Government–commissioned Apology Resolution documents spurred scholarship from historians like Jon Kamakawiwoʻole Osorio and legal analyses by scholars engaging with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Cultural institutions including Bishop Museum, Hawaiian Historical Society, and Kamehameha Schools preserve artifacts and records, while musicians such as Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, writers like Sally-Jo something and performers connected to hula and ʻoli continue to interpret the overthrow in art. Contemporary litigation includes claims under statutes like the Indian Claims Commission Act analogies and ongoing debates in forums including the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and state-level initiatives in Honolulu.

Category:History of Hawaii Category:1893 in the United States Category:19th century coups d'état